But if you use this abbreviation as it is actually written, namely, s.l.,
(lower case with full stops following the letters) almost all of these
alternatives disappear. I have never seen steam locomotive abbreviated as
sl, although sometimes maybe SL. The disambiguation is necessary here
because of the way computers are programmed to tolerate certain
variations, a practice that is occasionally counter-productive, as here.
Perhaps there is a better example to illustrate your point.
--
Laurence S. Creider
Special Collections Librarian
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Work: 575-646-7227
Fax: 575-646-7477
On Fri, 29 Apr 2011, Brenndorfer, Thomas wrote:
I think the point is not on "we" but on our users. Sending them to a glossary
or to Wikipedia to understand the content of an element (which may be found in a
completely different context than an ISBD display) is simply not user-friendly.
I fully support the conclusions from the original research on abbreviations
done by the steering committee for RDA-- we should strive to serve all users,
in all contexts, not just some.
Why might "s.l." be confusing? This is Wikipedia's disambiguation page for
"s.l.":
.... from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.l.
SL may refer to:
In geography:
Saint Lucia, a Caribbean island
Sri Lanka, in South Asia
Sierra Leone, in West Africa
In computing:
SL (complexity), a class of computational complexity
.sl, the country code top-level domain for Sierra Leone
Second Life, a multi-user 3D virtual world
Scientific Linux, a Linux distribution
Mac OS X v10.6, named Snow Leopard
Subjective logic, a type of probabilistic logic
Languages:
Sign Language
Slovene language, in ISO 639-1 code
In transport:
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, an automobile
Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais, IATA code SL, a Brazilian airline
Salt Lake City Southern Railroad's reporting mark
Steam locomotive
Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk, public transport operator in Akershus, Norway
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, public transport operator in Stockholm, Sweden
Organizations:
Sendero Luminoso, the "Shining Path" Maoist guerrilla movement
SL Corporation, a Korean auto parts company
Stronnictwo Ludowe, a defunct Polish party
Other uses:
Sensei's Library, an internet website and wiki dedicated to the ancient game of
Go
Sensu lato, used in taxonomy to mean "in the wider sense" of a definition
Serjeant-at-law, an obsolete legal position in the United Kingdom
Sine loco, in bibliographies, indicates that the place of publication of a
document is unknown
Sonoluminescence, the emission of short bursts of light from imploding bubbles
in a liquid when excited by sound
Sophrolaelia, in horticulture, an orchid genus
Special linear group, in mathematics, denoted SLn
Still Life (disambiguation)
Thomas Brenndorfer
Guelph Public Library
-----Original Message-----
From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access
[mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Guy Vernon Frost
Sent: April 29, 2011 5:20 PM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] latin, the dead language
s.l, s.n. both are in Wikipedia.. that was enough for me to decide we would
continue to use them and not apply the RDA recommendation.
Guy Frost, B.M.E., M.M.E., M.L.S., Ed.S
Catalog Librarian/Facilitator of Technical Processing
Associate Professor of Library Science
Odum Library, Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA 31698-0150 Depository 0125
229-259-5060 ; FAX 229-333-5862
gfr...@valdosta.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access
[mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Mike Tribby
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 4:12 PM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA
Subject: [RDA-L] latin, the dead language
In the conversations that many members of this list tend to find as boring
and pointless as can be, it has been suggested that abbreviations based on
Latin terms are arcane and that most library patrons likely don't understand
them. I have mixed feelings about this, ranging from strong agreement that
few know what "S.l." or "S.n." mean to dismay that we are supposedly
cataloging for library users unfamiliar with "etc.", etc.
Today I'm cataloging a book about muscle development for bodybuilders,
mostly weightlifters. It has a two-page glossary of Latin terms. Apparently
these bodybuilders are better equipped to search our information silos than
library users at large are.
Mike Tribby
Senior Cataloger
Quality Books Inc.
The Best of America's Independent Presses
mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com
